


An Epilogue

by Settiai



Category: Othello - Shakespeare
Genre: F/M, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-11-14
Updated: 2004-11-14
Packaged: 2017-10-06 16:25:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/55598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Settiai/pseuds/Settiai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There are no happy endings, because nothing ends.</p>
            </blockquote>





	An Epilogue

**Author's Note:**

> This story is what happens when AP English teachers assign their 17-year-old students to write fanfiction based on Shakespearean works. Mr. Jean, fanboy/devoted Trekkie/English teacher, is the only thing that I actually miss about the hell that was high school.
> 
> And, yes, I got extra credit for using a quote from "The Last Unicorn" as my summary.

Bianca stared out the window for several seconds before letting out a tired sigh and slowly turning her back on the scene that lay just outside her chambers. Even after a month, she still had trouble understanding how the world outside could merely pick up its feet and move on with life. Many things had changed over the previous weeks, but the people that dwelled in the city outside her window were almost completely unaware of what had truly transpired.

Over the last few weeks, life in Cyprus had slowly returned to a state that dimly resembled normalcy. Ripples of outrage from the city's privileged class began with the news of Desdemona's murder and Othello's suicide, but those ripples died away as the days went by. With the Moor no longer standing high on his pedestal, many of those loyal to him had all but forgotten the strange foreigner who had once demanded their utmost respect. After a mere two weeks, everyone except those directly involved with the incident had already pushed it to the back of their mind.

Unfortunately for the multiple men and single woman who had survived being drawn into Iago's insidious plot, their memories of the matter were still crystal clear. Cassio had stepped into the role of leader with more than a fair share of reluctance, and it was obvious to even the most innocent eyes that he was in a position that brought him no joy. He had held Othello in high regard, and Bianca was certain that his heart had been broken when it was revealed just how cruelly the man's life had been manipulated.

In her heart, Bianca knew that Iago's fate was something that she would rather remain a mystery. She had made the mistake once of asking Cassio what lot he had decided to bestow upon the traitorous man, and her lover had turned away from her instantly. He had avoided her completely over the following three days, and she better than to make the same mistake twice. Whenever she chanced to dream, however, she could hear Iago's screams in her mind, but she still could not feel pity for the accursed man. He had ruined the lives of all those around him: the blameless Cassio, the jealous Othello, not to mention the innocent Desdemona.

Bianca felt her heart harden for a moment as Desdemona's beautiful face appeared in her mind's eye. Even though her love for Cassio sometimes blinded her, years of experience had taught her how to read emotions in a man's face. She knew that it was the deceased beauty who truly held his heart, and she was well aware that he considered her to be a consolation prize. In his eyes, she was a false treasure that - when kept far in the shadows - could sometimes be mistaken for the priceless original.

The sound of someone gently clearing his throat caught her attention, and Bianca glanced toward the doorway with a startled gasp. She forced a gentle smile onto her face when she saw Cassio peering curiously at her, and she started walking toward him with barely more than an instant's worth of hesitation.

Bianca let her body relax as he embraced her, and she willingly let all of her doubts fly away after only a few moments. In her heart, she knew that she would never be his first choice or even his second; however, that fact no longer seemed important now that she was in his arms. She would stay there, a mere few feet behind him, for as long as he desired. His life was moving onward, and she had no intention of being left in the past.


End file.
